>> Monday, February 6, 2012

We're starting a new blog in addition to (never home)maker. It will replace the (never home)maker, baby! blog -- which has chronicled my pregnancy and postpartum period -- with all our family updates. But you'll be happy to learn it won't just be a barrage of baby pictures. It's an opportunity to share our lives in a new way. We had a back-log of reader questions to answer, too. Best of all, it's an opportunity for me to fine-tune my cooking. New recipes (among many other new things) will be a primary focus. And they'll pull ingredients from a streamlined, budget-friendly pantry.

I've also spent more time on the photography, which is an area I admit I've neglected lately. Here's a preview of some things to come:

If you're wondering, the answer is NO. (never home)maker is not going away. Instead, we'll go back to our roots as solely a fitness and exercise blog with related workouts, race recaps, foods (like energy chunks, high-powered smoothies, bars, etc.), and other healthy living tips.

We recognize topics have strayed from our original focus, so we're excited to get things back in order.

Now for a recipe. We threw this soup together out of pure desperation. I had bought mint to make something that required peas . . . only to return home and find we didn't actually have any peas. What I did find was some celery nearing the end of its shelf life in our fridge . . .

CURRIED CELERY SOUP WITH MINT

What you'll need . . .

1-1/2 pounds of celery, washed well and chopped

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

4 cups water

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Method . . .

In a stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add in the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add in the chopped celery. Cover for 10 minutes, but continue to stir.

Add the curry and onion powders and sweet potatoes. Cook for 4 minutes.

Then add in the water and soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Turn off the heat and let the soup cool for 10 minutes. Then toss it into a blender or food processor.

Add the mint and pulse until the soup is smooth.

So, enjoy the soup and please stay tuned for more updates on the new site, which we hope to open in March. If you have any suggestions (like printer-friendly recipes, more vegan recipes, better comments section, etc.), please email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.